Cash register



Dec. 12, 1933- w. H. ROBERTSON CASH REGISTER Filed Dec. '17, 1930 2Sheets-Sheet 1 SW01: William H. Robertson Hi whom Dec. 12, 1933. w. H.ROBERTSON CASH REGISTER 1 Filed Dec. 17, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3mmWilliam H. Robertson His who m Patented Dec. 12, 1933' V PATENT OFFICECASH REGISTER,

William H. Robertson, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to The National CashRegister Company, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Maryland ApplicationDecember 17, 1930 Serial No. 503,037,

9 Claims.

This invention relates to shutters for indicators, and more particularlyto those shutters for indicators on cash registers where a specialoperation known as total reading is performed.

In machines of this type it is customary to provide the totalizer withwhat is known as overflow wheels, which are merely denominational wheelsprovided for the sole purpose of receiving transferred amounts from thewheels of lower denomination.

These overflow wheels have no corresponding key banks, and since anadditive item cannot be set up on them, they are not provided withindicators. They are, however, connected to printing mechanism, so thattheir readings may be printed on the record strip concealed in themachine casing.

When a total reading operation is performed, the amount standing, on thetotalizer cannot, therefore, be correctly shown by the indicators if anyamounts arepresent on these overflow wheels.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a mechanismwhich will prevent the showing of the total reading by the indicators,during a total reading operation.

It has been found that clerks will take money from the cash drawer whenhis totalizer registers an amount less than the amount of cash actuallyin the drawer, and it is therefore, an additional object of thisinvention toprovide a mechanism whichwill prevent a clerk from becominginformed of the amount standing on his totalizer.

With these and incidental objects in view, the invention includescertain novel features of construction and combinations of parts,theessential elements of which are set forth in' appended claims and apreferred form or embodiment of which is hereinafter described withreference to the drawings which accompany and form a part of thisspecification. i

In said drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the differential mechanism of the machineto which this invention is conveniently attached.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the shutter mechanism and the total lever.

Fig. 3 is a detail side elevation showing the different positionsassumed by certainparts when the total lever is movedto variouspositions.

- Fig. 4 is a detail view showing the actuatin members for thedifferential mechanism. I

General description This invention is conveniently shown in connectionwith, and as an improvement on, the machine fully shown and described inan application of William H. Robertson for Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, Serial No. 172,660, filed March 4, 1927, entitled Cashregisters, to which reference may be had for a complete understanding ofthe parts not shown herein.

Described in general terms, this invention provides a shutter for anindicator mechanism which is moved to an obscuring position whenever thetotal lever is moved to the read or. reset position. In both thesepositions the totalizer is read, so reference will hereafter be made tothem merely as reading positions.

The shutter'is held in, and moved to its obscuring position by the totallever, and a further means is provided to hold the shutter in thisposition after the total lever is returned to its normal position, anduntil the indicators are moved by a subsequent operation. This preventsthe reading of the total amounts from the indicators, as' primarilyintended.

Another means is provided to interfere with the ticket printingmechanism, so that upon a total reading operation the total amountwill'be shown on the record strip only.

Difierential mechanism The differential is of the spring-actuated type,

that is, the type in which the actuator is adjusted is prevented fromdoing so by a universal rod 36 (Figs. land 4), carried'by a pair of arms37 secured to the rod 30. One arm, that shown in Fig. 4, is adjacent theleft side frame, and the other adjacent the right side frame. Secured tothe left-hand arm (Fig. 4) is a disk 40 having gear teeth meshing'with asegment 41 pivoted on a stud 42 carried by the left side frame. Thesegment 41 has mounted thereon a pair of rollers43 which cooperate witha pair of cam plates 44 secured to the main cam shaft 45.

When the cam shaft 45 rotates during the the arms 37, first in aclockwise direction, to shift the rod 36 away from the actuator 31 (Fig.1),

operation of the machine, the segment 41 rocks thereby permitting thelatter to be rocked under the influence of the spring until stopped bythe end of the depressed key, unless the actuator is prevented frommoving by a zero stop pawl 46. The rod 36 advances far enough to permitnine steps of movement of the actuator 31, even though the actuator isstopped before it reaches the nine key.

After the actuator 31 has been positioned under control of one of thekeys 47, and the rod 36 has finished its movement toward theleft (Fig.1)

l a totalizer pinion 50 is moved into mesh with said actuator by meansnot shown. After the, totalizer pinion has beenengaged with the actuator31, the segment 41 (Fig. 4) is rocked counter-clockwise by the camplates 44, thereby moving the rod 36 back to its normal position, whichmovement carries the actuator 31 back toitshome position. This backwardmovement of the actuator 31 adds an amount on the totalizer pinioncommensuratewiththat represented by the key depressed.

A stop is providedtoprevent overthrow. of the arms 37and theuniversalrod 36.. The arm 37, whichis adjacent the left side frame, is providedwith a surface 51 which. contacts a stud 52 on the left side frame, whenthe arm 37 is in its '.normal position. A surface 53 contacts the'studIndicator mechanism The machine is provided with a series of indicators64, one for each amount key bank, one ,of which isshown in Figs. 1 and2. These indicators show the data as it is printed on the'record stripand the issued ticket, and also the amount as it is entered intothe'totalizer. These indicators are first restored to zero position, andthen set up according to the amount of differential move ment given tothe totalizer actuators, in a manner now to be described.

Each: indicator is adjusted byia segment 55 (Fig. 1), loosely mounted onthe rod 30, and meshing with a gear 56. One of. the gears 56 is securedto the end of a shaft 57, and one is secured to the end of each sleeve60. Each gear 56 meshes with a gear 61' loosely mounted on a rod 62carried by the side frames. of the machine.

for the indicators'when they reach their 'zero positions.

A coupling pinion 67 is provided for each differential mechanism forcoupling the actuator 31 with the segment 55. The pinionsareloosely'mounted on. ashaft 70 carried by two arms 71, secured to a shaft 72, oneof which arms is shown in Fig. 1; The pinions are moved into and outofmesh with the actuators 31' and the'segments 55 by a cam groove andother mechanism,

not shown. I f

The coupling pinion 67 is normally in mesh with the; actuator 31, andwith the segment 55,

but at the beginning of. the operation of the machine the pinion ismoved out of mesh until the rod 36 moves to its forward, or left-hand,

instead of the actuators 31 being stopped by deposition as seen fromFig. 1, which moves the segment 55 to zero position and permits theactuator 31 to be adjusted under control of the depressed key, by thespring 35.

If one of the keys 47 is depressed, the actuator 31 assumes a position adistance in proportion to the value of the key depressed, in theclockwise direction of the position shown in Fig. l, and'its abuttingface 73 will advance a distance ahead of an abutting face 74 of thesegment .55, which is shown in its foremost or zero position. When theactuator 31 and the segment 55 are in these positions, the pinion 67moves into mesh with them, and the rod 36 begins its return movement.

This rod 36, on its return movement, comes into engagement with thesurface 73 on the actuator 31, and carries the actuator and the seg-.ment 55, which is now coupled with. it, rearwardly until the rod 36reaches its rearmost position, which is that shown in Fig. 1. Thismovement returns the actuator 31 to its normal position, and rotates thesegment 55 counter-olockwisea distance equal to that traveled by theactuator 31, which movement rotates the indicator,

through its intermediate gears, the amount necessary to show the numeralor character represented on the key depressed.

In total reading operations, the indicators are set in a like manner bytheir segments 55, but

pressed keys 47, they arestopped by the totalizer pinions 56, which, inthese operations, are engaged with the actuators 31 at the beginning ofthe operation.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 2, 75 is the customary total leverused on this type of machine, by which the totalizing mechanism is setfor the four different operations as indicated by the dotted linepositions.

A type carrier 76 cooperates with a issued-by the machine. These partsare indicated only in outline form, since it is necessary only to showtheir relation to other parts in the figure. V 7 l The upper part of themachine casing 81 has a window 82 through which. the numbers on theindicator are viewed.

The" foregoing constructionjis shown by the application for patent toRobertson, referred to, and constitutes a part of the present inventionhammer 77, pivoted on a rod'80, to print on the ticket its iio

only insofar as it cooperates with the newparts to form newcombinations.

Shutter mechanism An operating bell crank 83 (Fig. 2) has a 84 looselymounted on the outside one of the sleeves 60. The bell crank 83 isconnected by a link 85 to the total lever 75. v A stud 86 is mounted inthe upper arm 87 of the bell crank 83, and is movable therewith to rocka 1ever'90, by engagement with a cam surface 91 The movement of theshutter is liinited -s in both directions by a stud 161 secured to theside frame of the machine.

An arm 102 extends rearwardly from the lever 90, and has a pin-and-slotconnection 103 with a slide 104. Two studs 165, mounted on the frame rod93 of the machine,-project into the slots 106 in the slide 104. Thesepin-and-shot connections 103,

105, 106 insure a linear motion to the slide 104 when the latter ismoved by the lever 90 into engagement with the printing hammer 77.

, Shutter Zatching and releasing mechanism I Alatching lever107 isloosely mounted on the hub 84, and has an upper arm 110 and a lower 'arm111. The upper arm has two steps 112 and 113'cut in'its rear face. Astud 114 is fixed to the forward arm 92 of the leverQO, and rests on thestep 112 when the shutter 100 is in normal position. A sprin 115,fastened at one end to the upper arm 04 of the lever 90, and at itsother end to the machine frame, holds the shutter in normal position; asshown in Fig. 2. Another spring 116, fastened at one end to the upperarm of the latching lever 107, and at its other end to the machineframe, urges the latching lever in the clockwise direction.

The lower arm 111 of the latching lever 107 has a stud 117 which isstruck by the nose 120 of a rocker 121 rigidly securedto the shaft 30and rod 36, when the rocker is moved during the operation of themachine.

Operation of the shutter mechanism When the operator desires to take areading of the total, the total lever is moved to the read or the resetposition. This movement swings the stud 86 to its read or resetpositions, as shown in Fig. 3, in which positions it rocks the lever 90,by engagement with its cam face 91, to the position indicated, by dottedlines in Fig. 3, and the shutter 100 is thereby lowered to obscuringposition.

' As soon as the lever 90 is so moved, thestud 11% is elevated, allowingthe spring 116 to pull the latching lever 107 in a clockwise direction,so that the stud 114 will lie over the step 113. At the same time, theslide 104 is moved to its lower position, so that the printing hammeris-held in inoperative position.

The machine is now operated, the rod 36 (Fig. 1) beginning its forwardexcursion. When it reaches its forward position, the indicators are allin zero positions, and the nose 120 (Fig. 3) of the rocker 121 hasrocked the lever 107 in a counterclockwise direction sufliciently toallow the stud 114, on the lever 90, to return to its normal position onstep 112, but due to the fact that the stud 86 is still under the camface 91 of the lever 90, the stud 114 remains elevated, and the shutter100 remains in obscuring position.

When the rod 30 returns to normal position, the spring 116 rotates thelatch 107 clockwise to its former position, with the stud 114 over step113. During the return movement, the total reading is run on theindicators 6 in the manner referred to above, and is printed on therecord strip.

Although the total reading is set up on the ticket printing typecarriers 76, it is not printed on the ticket, due to the printing hammer77 being held in inoperative position by the slide 104.- Thus, the totalreading is made available only by inspection of the record strip insidethe machine.

When the machine finishes its operation, the operator returns the totallever to its add or non-add position for the next operation. Thiswithdraws the stud 86 from under the cam surface 91, and allows the stud1?.4 to bear on the step 113, through the tension of spring 115.

Upon a succeeding operation of the machine, with the total lever in addor non-add position, the indicators 64 again return to zero positionsduring the initial movement of the rod 36,

destroying the total indication, and the lever 107 receives itscounter-clockwise movement-by the rocker 121. This time, however, thestud 114 is not held in its upper position by the stud 86, and

the machine, and the hammer 77 prints this amount on the issued ticket.1

While the form of mechanism herein shown and described is admirablyadapted to fulfill the objects primarily stated, it is to be understoodthat it is not intended to confine the invention to the one form orembodiment, herein disclosed, for it is susceptible of embodiment invarious forms all coming within the scope of the claims which fol low.

What is claimed as new, is:

1. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a shutteroperating means including a three-armed lever having means on one armfor engaging the shutter frame, a cam on another arm, adapted to engagewith an operating means, and a connection on a third arm with aslide forpreventing the printing of a ticket when said shutteris moved tooperating position.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination of an indicator,a shutter, a total lever, means controlled by movement of the totallever for moving the shutter in front of the indicator, means fortemporarily latching the shutter in that position, and means, operatedduring an operation of the machine subsequent to totalizing, to cause arestoration of the shutter to its former position.

3. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a shutteroperating means including a.

three-armed lever having means on one arm for preventing the printing ofa ticket when said shutter is moved to operating position, saidoperating means also including a latching lever, a tappet and a camlever, the tappet swinging the latching lever and the latching leverreleasing the cam lever upon operation of the machine.

4. In a machine of the class described, in combination, an indicator, ashutter for the indicator, a total reading mechanism, means controlledby the total reading mechanism for moving the shutter to obscuringposition as an incident to the operation, and means for retaining theshutter in its obscuring position until the machine is given asubsequent operation.

5. In a machine of the class described, in combination, a cam leveroperating a shutter and a slide, a bell crank operating against said camlever to move the shutter and theslide, and a latching lever adapted. tolatch said cam lever, shutter and slide in moved position.

6. In a machine of the class described, an indicator, an accumulator,totalizing means therefor including a total lever, a shutter for theindicator, means to move the same to obscuring position when the totallever is adjusted to totalize, and means for retaining said shutter inits obscuring position until the lever is returned to normal'positionand a subsequent operation is begun.

'7. In'a machine of the class described, in combination, an accumulator,an indicator, setting means therefor, item entering mechanism,totalizing mechanism, means for obscuring the indicator, means forcompelling the obscuring means to be moved to obscuring positionpreparatory to a totalizing operation, and means for retaining saidobscuring means in its obscuring position until the totalizing operationis completed and the indicator setting means is actuated for asubsequent item entering operation.

8. In a machine of the class described, in combination, an accumulator,totalizing mechanism therefor, an indicator, means for obscuring theindicator when the machine is conditioned for a totalizing operation,and means for retaining said obscuring means in obscuring position untilthe machine is returned to its former condition and a subsequentoperation is begun.

9. In a machine of the class described, a total lever, an indicator, ashutter therefor, means, connected to the total lever, to control movement of the shutter to obscuring position when the lever is moved, andto hold the shutter in that position after it is moved, an additionalmember to hold the shutter in obscuring position after the lever isreturned to initial position, a machine operated restoring member, andmeans causing this member to control the additional member so, as toeffect a return of the shutter to initial position.

WILLIAM H. ROBERTSON.

